SPP 2080:  Catalysts and reactors under dynamic conditions for energy storage and conversion

• Subject Area: Thermal Engineering/Process Engineering ; Chemistry ; Materials Science and Engineering ; Mathematics
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 358713534

In the context of the energy transition, the fluctuating availability of renewable energies such as wind and solar power represents one of the greatest challenges. Electricity generated on windy and sunny days can be stored in the form of chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen or hydrocarbons. This requires the use of catalysts, reactors and electrochemical cells under externally controlled dynamic reaction conditions. The influence of dynamic conditions on catalytic reaction systems has so far been underestimated. On the one hand, there is the potential to increase the yield of desired reaction products and reactivate catalysts in quiescent phases by dynamic operation. On the other hand, the nanostructured catalysts must be stabilized. This is where this the present priority program steps in. Applied to current questions of energy transition a basic understanding of microscopic processes on solid catalysts under dynamic conditions and their effects on activity, selectivity and stability is developed in an interdisciplinary research programme. Fundamental and methodological challenges of dynamic operation are investigated in five closely related subject areas in interdisciplinary collaborations: (A) Characterization using "operando" methods, i.e., under reaction conditions, to understand solid catalysts "at work" under dynamic conditions.(B) Predictive theoretical description of active phases forming under dynamic reaction conditions and elementary steps occurring on the catalyst.(C) Kinetics and multiscale modeling incorporating atomic information to understand the behaviour of catalysts and electrodes under engineering and dynamic conditions.(D) Engineered materials to stabilize catalytically active surface structures and to study them under periodic reaction conditions.(E) Novel reactor and electrolyser concepts for methodical investigations under transient conditions.The expected gain in knowledge should enable the efficient operation of catalytic systems under dynamic conditions in the future. The fundamental understanding of this will be developed using the example of reactions for energy storage and conversion and will create the basis for future technical applications.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• International Connection: Serbia

Projects

• Analysis of forced periodic operation of chemical reactors considering methanol synthesis as an example (Applicants Kienle, Achim ;  Nikolic Paunic, Daliborka ;  Seidel-Morgenstern, Andreas )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk )
• Degradation-control of perovskite oxide OER catalysts under dynamic operation conditions via advanced operando characterization and orbital-d-band engineering (Applicants Gunkel, Felix ;  Hausen, Florian ;  Kleiner, Karin )
• Dynamically driven rutile-based acidic oxygen evolution electrocatalysts beyond stationary efficiency (DaCapo) (Applicants Heß, Franziska ;  Hofmann, Jan Philipp ;  Strasser, Peter )
• Influence of dynamic operation conditions on the electrolytic hydrogen evolution (Applicants Jacob, Timo ;  Over, Herbert )
• Iron-based catalysts for CO2 conversion into higher hydrocarbons under dynamic condi-tions (Applicants Brückner, Angelika ;  Kondratenko, Evgenii ;  Pinna, Nicola )
• Long term stable Co-based catalysts for Sabatier reaction under changing feed loads (Applicants Bäumer, Marcus ;  Mädler, Lutz ;  Thöming, Jorg )
• Multiscale Analysis and Rational Design of Dynamically Operated Integrated Catalyst-Reactor Systems for Methanation of CO2 (Applicants Gläser, Roger ;  Sheppard, Thomas ;  Sundmacher, Kai )
• Oberflächendynamik von inverser Ni- und Cu- Katalysatoren: Neue Konzepte für die CO2-Hydrierung durch Promotierung mit reduzierbaren Oxiden (Applicants Behrens, Malte ;  Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk ;  Studt, Felix )
• REALCO2DYN-X2: MOF-derived CO2 methanation catalysts – Mechanisms, activity and stability during industrially relevant, dynamic dropout scenarios using hard X-ray techniques (Applicants Bauer, Matthias ;  Kleist, Wolfgang ;  Zobel, Mirijam )
• Selectivity Control under Dynamic CO2 Electroreduction Conditions (Applicants Magnussen, Olaf ;  Roldan Cuenya, Beatriz )
• Sorption-Enhanced CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol under Dynamic Reaction Conditions (Applicants Deutschmann, Olaf ;  Gläser, Roger ;  Jentys, Andreas )
• Stabilization of the RuO2 water splitting electrocatalyst under dynamic operating conditions by surface modification (Applicants Heß, Franziska ;  Over, Herbert )
• Structural Evolution of a High-Temperature Oxygen Evolution Catalyst under Transient Working Conditions (Applicants Eichel, Rüdiger-A. ;  Lunkenbein, Thomas ;  Scheurer, Christoph )
• Structure-performance relationships of Ir-Ru electrodes for oxygen evolution during dynamic operation (Applicants Cherevko, Serhiy ;  Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk ;  Krewer, Ulrike )
• Tackling irreversible catalyst deactivation: knowledge-driven design and operation of dynamic responsive methanation catalysts (Applicants Franken, Tanja ;  Freund, Hannsjörg ;  Rubin, Michael )
• Temporally and spatially resolved non intrusive measurement of temperature and species concentration profiles during catalytic production of synthetic methane in open cell foam catalysts (CARS4KAT) (Applicant Seeger, Thomas )
• Transient High-Temperature Oxygen Evolution Reaction (Applicants Eichel, Rüdiger-A. ;  Reuter, Karsten ;  Schlögl, Robert )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt